If you have ever been fortunate enough to enjoy a sunset at a lakeside cottage in Ontario, you will know the lovely, hauntingly peaceful feeling of a loon call breaking through the silence and carrying out over the water. There's nothing quite like it. 

Last summer while I was staying at a friend's cottage with the family, my then 5 year old heard this sound for the first time. He was so enchanted by it, he spent the rest of the weekend sketching loons on the lake with a pen and his little notepad. He inspired me to follow his lead and make a loon design for our Celebrating the North collection.

In the process of drawing I ended up blending a bit of my linework style  (super detailed, fragile lines and shapes) with a bit of the geometric feel of designs like the Arctic Fox or Lionhead. I also wanted to make the composition a bit more dynamic, so rather than have a profile of the bird on water, I opted for the open wings and splayed tail. The red maple is a signature of our Celebrating the North collection, that includes designs that pay tribute to the beautiful wildlife that we share the land with.